The Night Shift
by After The Lights
Summary: Detective Aqua Lowe only really wants three things in life: her boss to mentor her; to become the youngest Captain in Radiant Garden Police Department's history; for emails and bills to stop spelling her name as Agua. What she gets is the night shift, a bachelor party gone wrong, and a hot, shirtless guy waiting at her desk.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – Axel**

"Aqua Lowe: perfect test scores at the Academy, the youngest woman to make Detective in the history of Radiant Garden Police Department, and no less than half a dozen commendations each year you've been on the force."

Captain Eraqus lifts his gaze from her file to look her in the eye. It's a stormy gaze, flickers of anger hidden behind the grey, and Aqua tries not to sigh too loudly when she realises what is inevitably coming next.

"Your file is exemplary," he says, setting it down on the desk. Her ID picture grins up at her with a cascade of blue hair long enough to reach her waist. She'd forgotten how long it used to be. "Which is why I'm so disappointed in you."

She grimaces and lets her shoulders slump.

"Sir, if I may…"

"You may not."

"But Sir…"

"No, Lowe," he says firmly. "You deliberately omitted information from your report on the Facilier case. What we thought was the work of the suspect trying to destroy the crime scene turns out to have been one of our own detectives so bored on the job, he decided to play with fire. Literally."

"Von Brandt's file does mention he has a history of childhood pyromania and…"

And whatever else she had been about to say catches in her throat like a winter coat on brambles when she spots the look Eraqus is giving her. Disappointment mixed with anger and surprise and the slightest hint of regret.

"I am well aware of Von Brandt's medical history. His trouble with impulse control is one of the reasons we put the two of you together in the first place."

She nods as he confirms what she has always suspected. Axel is unconventional as far as police officers go, but he's grown to become one of the best partners she's been lucky to have. She tempers his rough language and behaviour and the jagged contours of his personality balance out the gentleness of her own. An odd pairing, sure, but it works, somehow.

The Captain pauses to deliberate her punishment and she watches him warily, wringing her fingers behind her back. There's a picture on the shelves behind him of his younger self, sergeant stripes newly earned and proudly displayed, grinning with an equally happy boy whose blue eyes are cast in shadow by a large peaked cap. It's the only photo he has in his office and he looks so far removed from the man stood before her that Aqua can almost taste the guilt on her tongue. How many of the lines that now mar his forehead are down to her?

Eraqus draws in his breath as he pinches the bridge his nose and then sharply exhales.

"I don't want to have to do this Lowe, I really don't, but I'm left with very little choice." He fixes his gaze to hers, eyes steely, before continuing. "As punishment, you and Von Brandt will spend the next fortnight working the night shift, though you will remain on your current rate of pay. When the two weeks have elapsed, I shall review your performance and we will discuss your next assignments and schedule. Do I make myself clear?"

Her response is immediate and trembling. "Perfectly, sir."

She bows her head and waits to be dismissed but it doesn't come. Instead, he sweeps past his desk to place a hand on her shoulder and her eyes flick up to see the corners of his mouth quirk slightly with something that looks dangerously close to fondness.

"Aqua," he starts, and she jerks upright at the sound of her first name. His voice is softer now, more that of a concerned parent than a boss. "Don't berate yourself too much. See this instead as a learning opportunity, a time for self-reflection. You're one of the best officers I've had the privilege of supervising and please forgive me for saying so, but it is rather comforting to know that you are actually capable of making mistakes just like everyone else."

She can't help but smile at that. Outside of performance reviews, it's probably the most honest thing he's ever said to her.

"Now, please go and put your partner out of his misery and inform him of my decision. I do believe he's been trying to lip-read our entire conversation.

She follows his gaze to the window and spots Axel loitering by the water cooler directly opposite the Captain's office. He's doing his best to be inconspicuous but he's long and lanky and has a mane of hair the colour of a raging bushfire, placing him firmly at the bottom of the list for undercover operations.

"Will do, sir," she says and is dismissed.

Axel looks up instantly when she shuts the door and tries to catch her eye as she heads for her desk. He takes his time to reach her, ambling over while she scrambles around for her bag.

"Well, don't you look horribly solemn?"

The greeting is typical Axel, nonchalant but still inquisitive. It's what makes him so excellent in the questioning room, a man who switches easily from good cop to bad cop within the space of a heartbeat.

"Couldn't possibly imagine why," she says and the hint of bite in her words causes Axel to sigh and scratch the back of his neck.

"Look, I can tell from your expression that you're pretty mad at me, and probably yourself as well, so consider this a pre-emptive apology."

He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out that she unable to properly identify until it's safe in her own two hands; a lollipop stick with the word WINNER etched into the wood.

She cocks an eyebrow. "How many ice creams did you have to eat to get this?"

"Almost a dozen. But I seem to be getting better at it. There was no puking up afterwards this time," he says with a stupidly proud grin that is as Axel as his initial greeting had been.

Aqua finds her own face breaking to match his and clutches the stick tightly to her chest. "I'll treasure it forever."

"Don't overdo it, Lowe," he snorts before glancing at the clock by the entrance to the bullpen. "You ready to go get lunch?"

"Sure."

Ten minutes later they manage to snag a table at Tony's, which Aqua's pretty sure owes its continued existence to the fact that it serves the strongest coffee within the city walls and is thus a godsend to the overworked and sleep deprived. At least half its clientele are dressed in suits that reek of red tape and bureaucracy.

She brushes a figure down the menu and settles on the spaghetti, a dish they're famous for, while Axel goes for pizza.

"You're paying by the way," she informs him and he acquiesces with a frown instead of an argument.

"Figured as much." His elbows land on the table and he laces his fingers together, chin balancing coquettishly on top with his head angled just enough to make him look the right side of curious. "So, you gonna tell me how screwed we are or should I just continue to catastrophize internally?"

"What've you got so far?"

"Honestly, knowing how uptight the Captain is, anything's possible. Worst I've got is that he dismisses my application to transfer over to the Arson Desk."

She recoils in mock horror. "You mean… you want to leave me?" she gasps and watches in delight as he struggles not to laugh at her pitiful attempt at the dramatic. He reached over to clasp one of his hands with hers.

"Aqua, you know I think you're one of the most fantastic, beautiful, and badass women to grace this world and that I would never leave you unless I had to. But fire has always been my first love and always will be and you have to admit, I would make a pretty awesome arson investigator."

He would. The number of things Axel knows about fire and its applications borders alarmingly close to obsessive. The Arson Desk would be lucky to have him.

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"For a woman, yeah," he says and she shakes off his hand with a laugh because of course Axel would take a compliment and find some way to add a dash of insult.

"Well, you have my sincerest apologies for not being a man."

"Nah. You're worth at least ten men. Plus if you _were_ a man, they'd be all this distracting sexual tension between us and Roxas would probably kill me six ways to Sunday for even looking at you."

"Thank goodness you're gay then."

"Yup! Now, as fun as the amateur dramatics has been, can we please turn this conversation back round to the question at large," he says, drawing a languid circle in the air with his right hand before pointing it at her. "What's our punishment?"

She sighs and sips her drink before answering. "Two weeks on the night shift."

"Shit!"

"I know! I only just managed to get tickets to see the Seven Sisters play next Friday night and now I'm going to miss them. Do you have any idea how often they play outside of Atlantica?"

Axel leans back in his chair and raises a fine eyebrow. "Aqua, you've known me what, three years now? It's cute you actually believe I give a crap about opera."

She gives him a pointed stare. "Your boyfriend is a _music_ major. And you wouldn't be so blasé about this if you'd heard the soprano on Ariel. Her voice is so beautiful it makes you want to steal it."

"Okay. First of all," he says, holding up a pale finger that looks better suited for playing the piano than lighting fires, "Roxas is studying music production, with an emphasis on pop and R&B. Secondly," and another finger comes to join the first, "I concede. If you're advocating stealing then she must be fucking amazing."

"The best," she groans. "And I'm not going to get to see them. Plus, I'll have to find someone to sell my ticket to or else I'll have wasted 70 munny on nothing."

Silence lingers at their table for longer than she expects as Axel stops to mull something over in his mind. Her eyes wander over to the large picture on the wall opposite, a portrait of two dogs eating spaghetti by candlelight, a cocker spaniel and a mutt, and despite the number of times they've eaten here, she still doesn't know the story behind it. She almost asks the waiter when he brings their food but then she spots his obsequious smile and weary eyes and decides against it. She simply thanks him and begins to tuck in, Axel still silent and making no move to cut up his pizza.

"Are you not hungry anymore?" she asks and nods towards his food.

"What?" He blinks several times, a look usually reserved for the just woken on his face, and glances down at the plate in front of him. "Oh, yeah."

He makes a start, slicing his pizza with such vigour she's surprised it doesn't go flying straight off the plate. Spaghetti has never been easy for her to eat so she lowers her head in a desperate attempt to keep her shirt sauce free, napkin tucked firmly under her chin. It's good stuff, tasty, though she's not sure it deserves its widespread reputation as the best pasta in all of Radiant Garden.

They sit in relative quiet for the next few minutes as they eat, the silence companionable this time. She's nearly finished when she hears Axel set his knife and fork down with a loud huff and then he does something that's almost unheard of. He apologises.

"Sorry."

Aqua coughs. "Pardon?"

"I'm sorry," he repeats, looking almost distraught as he says it. "This is all my fault and you don't deserve to be punished for something I did just because you're my partner. It's not right."

"Axel, you don't need to apolo-"

"Oh, but I do," he interrupts. "You did what, miss one word out of your report and now you're stuck working nights for the next two weeks? That's a pretty shitty decision if you ask me, and I'm the one responsible for landing you in this mess. So please, accept my apology."

He looks at her so sincerely she can't help roll her eyes. "Fine," she says, dragging out the word with a shake of her head. "Apology accepted.

"Good," he grins. "And don't worry about the concert. I'll have a word with the Captain and see if he'll let you off for that night. And if not, then I think I know a guy who'll be more than happy to buy your ticket."

"Really?"

"Really really. Now hurry up and eat. Our break finishes in like ten minutes and I want dessert."

She laughs and then looks at him, really looks at him, and feels her gaze soften as she conveys her gratitude. "Thanks, Axel."

He nods, but averts his eyes and reaches for the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, what are partners for, right?"

"Getting you stuck on the night shift, apparently."

"You're never gonna let me live this down are you?"

"Nope!"

"Great," he says but he's smiling.

When they eventually return to the police station, stomachs full and Axel's wallet empty, they're four minutes late but Eraqus declares that he's had enough of disciplining for the day and decides that for once, just this once, he'll let it slide.

* * *

 **A/N** \- I totally did not come up with this after binge watching 10 episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix. Not at all. Don't know what you're talking about.

Regarding their surnames, Von Brandt comes from German and means, "from the area cleared by fire". And since Axel is a pretty popular German name, I left him as Axel rather than Lea.

Lowe is me trying to make a mild language based pun, as it's effectively a homophone of the French, 'l'eau,' meaning, 'the water.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Saix**

June slides idly into July and their new work schedule begins just as the mercury starts to rise.

Umbrellas bloom on the terraces of Castle Town as people flock to wine bars and pubs for after work drinks. The atmosphere is jovial and normally Aqua would approve, happy to count smiles and bask in the evening Sun at the end of a tough shift. But now that she's working nights the seedier side of the district greets her with foul language and a lot of drunken indignation.

"I didn't know it was possible to vomit that much," she says to Axel as they round up yet another drunk and disorderly.

Axel throws back his head and laughs with such spontaneity that for a second she thinks the general level of public inebriation has claimed an additional victim.

"Oh, Aqua," he says with a shake of his head, right hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "Don't tell me the only thing you did in college was study?"

It mostly was; you didn't end up as valedictorian by _not_ spending the majority of your free time in the library.

"Actually," she informs him, brushing off his hand with just a hint of haughtiness, " _I_ was a cheerleader."

She smirks as Axel comes to a halt by their patrol car, looking rather flummoxed by this new information. His eyebrows start to rise and fall in the odd dance they do whenever he's thinking especially hard about something.

"You were a cheerleader but you've never seen anyone throw up this much? What happened? Are parties just not your thing or did you manage to piss someone off enough that no-one ever invited you to a kegger?"

She bobs her head from side to side in a strange horizontal nod as she mulls over her answer with a quiet hum.

"A little of former, but mostly the latter," she says and pulls open one of the back doors.

Axel whistles, low and long, and then he unceremoniously shoves their troublemaker into the car. The man is so far gone he can't even do up the seatbelt and Aqua's partner scowls when she playfully nudges him closer to the vehicle. She quickly walks round to the driver's seat and slips inside while Axel fumbles around in the back, making sure the detained is safe and secure.

"Sounds like quite a story," he muses and a few seconds later there's a click and he shuts their passenger in the back before coming to join her.

"Maybe."

She starts the ignition and they pull away, heading back to the station. She nods towards the radio.

"But before I tell you, you need to call this in and make sure there's actually enough room left in the holding cell for this guy."

"Yes, ma'am."

He salutes her before reaching for the transceiver and she bites back a smile. His glibness is sometimes the only thing that helps her make it through a trying day, and with the prospect of spending ten more days apprehending Castle Town's most intoxicated, it has never been more welcome.

Luckily, their drunkard is an exception, at least for now, and there's plenty of space for him to make himself at home in the general holding cell. Axel makes a move to start on the paperwork so she's free to slump back in her desk chair and check to see if she smells of alcohol.

She sniffs surreptitiously. She does.

Sighing, her eyes dart over to the clock. It's only just gone 10 pm and despite the station's windows being flung open the atmosphere is still and uncomfortable, the sort that births thunderstorms and makes sleep nigh on impossible. The rest of her shift spreads out before her, interminable and senseless hours, and she takes a moment to rest her eyes and just breathe. To simply be.

"Lowe!"

She stumbles to attention at the Captain's voice. What he's doing at the station at such a late hour is beyond her but she knows better than to question him. Unfortunately, Axel doesn't.

That or he has, as he often threatens, truly run out of fucks to give.

"Awfully late for you to still be hanging around here, isn't it Captain? Shouldn't you be at home in your PJs, drinking cocoa and doing Sudoku?"

The look Eraqus throws at him is one Aqua has seen first-hand break hardened mob bosses and make them confess their darkest sins. Axel is apparently made of sturdier stuff. He simply lifts an eyebrow enough to look slightly put out and with a touch of curl on his lip adds a drawn out, " _Sir_."

The Captain huffs in approval, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "Trust me, Von Brandt, I'd much rather be at home than here at this time of night. And I actually prefer crossword puzzles to Sudoku. But I digress." His gaze flicks over to Aqua and his tone switches immediately from slightly amused to absolute professional. "Briefing room, two minutes."

"Yes, sir," she says with a nod and watches as he marches over to the room in question. Axel slinks over to her, expression quizzical, and nudges her with a bony elbow.

"Any idea what this could be about?"

"Not a clue."

He sighs heavily and almost seems to deflate as he perches on the edge of her desk. "Me neither. Unless…"

She cocks an eyebrow. "Unless?"

"It's the blitz finals tonight, right? So maybe the fans got a little too excited and a little too rowdy and security needs extra help with crowd control."

It's a sound deduction but something feels off. She pulls up a map of the city on her computer and quickly scans it to find what she's looking for.

"You could be right, but the stadium is outside the city walls and falls under Hollow Bastion jurisdiction. So if they did need back-up they'd call any of the HB precincts, not us here in Castle Town."

Axel hums in agreement. "That's true. And if it were something really major like a bomb threat we'd definitely have heard something before now." He pushes himself off her desk and then grips her shoulders, turning her around and steering her towards the briefing room. "Well, no point speculating when we're going to find out in less than two minutes. Let's go bag us some good seats, shall we?"

She gestures to his hands as they walk. "I pretty sure you've already made that decision for me."

"True. But I think we both know that if you didn't like it, you could more than easily take me down. Probably just with one punch."

"One punch and a kick to the balls," she says and as they enter the briefing room she makes a beeline for the front, eager to hear what Eraqus has to say. Axel groans when she drags him forwards and he motions behind them, towards the back. She huffs and he pouts and eventually they come to a silent compromise and settle themselves into two seats at a table in the middle row.

The other officers working tonight file in moments later and from the looks on their faces, Aqua knows they're just as clueless about the situation as she and Axel are.

"Do you two have any idea what's going on?" asks the man in front of them, a strait-laced detective she believes is called Ira. She hasn't had enough time yet to memorise the names of their colleagues who also work the night shift. But she plans to, whenever she manages to find time to spare.

"Not a clue, buddy. But I think we're about to find out," replies Axel and cants his head to the front of the room where Captain Eraqus is stood, clearing his throat.

"Thank you all for assembling at such short notice. For those of you wondering why I am here and not the Night Captain, Captain Masters has been requested on scene, something about them needing people who like to be in the thick of the action," he announces and Aqua spots several officers chuckling quietly.

She doesn't know much about Captain Masters, the Captain who oversees the night shift, other than that he keeps his head covered with a black ski mask and hood. It's to cover a facial disfigurement, supposedly a missing eye, but Axel reckons there's more to it than that. As he succinctly put it the other day, 'Masters has more screws loose than that self-assembly desk I never finished putting together.'

"I shall now hand you over to Lieutenant Tsukino," continues Eraqus, and another man sweeps into the room as he does so, "who will brief you all on the current situation and our intended proceedings."

Lieutenant Tsukino sports both the perfectly straight back and bitter expression synonymous with upper management. If it weren't for his hair, a long tumble of unorthodox blue, and the small glimmer of silver in his ear, Aqua would have trouble believing the man actually has a heart.

She feels Axel stiffen in the chair next to her and from the corner of her eye she watches his jaw clench, so hard that a blue branch of vein looks about ready to burst from his pale neck. Rumour has it they were partners once, fresh out of the Academy and eager to serve the city on patrol, but something happened between them, something that let Tsukino climb two ranks ahead and means he now dresses in white instead of their navy blue.

In the three years she's known Axel, the question of what actually happened between the two of them has risen on her tongue more times than she can count. But's she's never asked. Even detectives know that sometimes secrets need to remain just as they are. Secret. So she's doesn't push and prod and press him for answers. He will tell her when he wants to, if he wants to, and that is more than good enough for her.

"As I am sure many of you are aware, tonight was the final game of the Blitzball season, the championship match between the Radiant Garden Giants and the Twilight Town Thorns."

"Go Giants!" cries someone behind them and the angry x-shaped scar marring Tsukino's face shrinks momentarily as his eyes narrow and brow furrows, a cruel memento that proves he once led a life of action before becoming one of the city's best adjutants. His glare is icy but can't be that effective because not even a second later somebody else calls out, "Thorns suck!" and Captain Eraqus has to step in to silence the crows of laughter before they take over the entire room.

"That is enough! I appreciate that it is late and unpleasantly warm but this is a matter of grave importance, not just for this precinct but the entire city."

His voice is barely louder than usual but his tone immediately commands obeisance, and as the snickers and tittering subside, Aqua takes notes. One day, ideally in the not too far future, she too will silence a room as deftly as Eraqus. And when she does so, it will be glorious.

"Lieutenant Tsukino; if you would be so kind as to continue."

"Gladly," says the blue haired man and juts his chin out. "The game ended at a nine thirty with the Giants winning 4 goals to 3 after half an hour of overtime."

At this, a quiet hiss of celebration echoes around the room, but beside her, Axel lets out a muffled groan and mutters, "Roxas is gonna be so pissed."

"Needless to say," continues the lieutenant, "the Thorns' supporters were not particularly happy with this outcome and decided to let their anger be known." He clicks the presentation remote in his hand and the projector flickers to life with a tired hum. "This is the latest footage we have from the stadium, courtesy of our colleagues from the Hollow Bastion District who are providing security."

The footage is pure carnage. Aqua knows that sports fans are a passionate bunch and blitz fans, in particular, can be especially vocal about their love for the team. But never did she believe they would ever be capable of something like this.

"Holy shit," Axel whispers and for once, she has to agree with his choice of words.

The fans are fighting, the aggressive drunken brawls they've seen in Castle Town over the past few nights multiplied a hundredfold. It's angry and chaotic and does not make for pleasant viewing at all. Then the footage switches to outside the stadium and somehow, it's even worse.

"They set a bus on fire!?"

"Two actually," says the Captain, unusually calm about the matter. "Along with at least half a dozen other vehicles, including one police car."

"We also received word about ten minutes ago that they have managed to disable the water tanks, so the stadium is now flooded and the water is slowly making its way outside. Understandably, all precincts over in Hollow Bastion have been asked to drop everything except for emergency cases and we have been tasked with picking up their backlog."

It is only the way he says the final word that gives away Tsukino's displeasure at these orders, dragging out the syllables far longer than necessary to ensure they all understand he thinks this is beneath him.

"I shall be heading out to the stadium," adds Eraqus. "Apparently my past experience with crowd control makes me invaluable in situations like these. With both myself and Captain Masters gone, Lieutenant Tsukino will be in command of this precinct until either of us return. Are we all clear?"

A rumble of agreement echoes around the briefing room as people nod. Axel doesn't though. He simply glares at the table they're sat at, his face grim, and refuses to look in the direction of the Lieutenant.

"If there are no further questions," says Tsukino, eyes scanning the room, "you are all dismissed."

The briefing room fills with the sound of scraping chairs and angry whispers about their new workload, but Aqua remains in her seat, watching Axel warily. He's looked up now and is eyeing the Lieutenant as he leaves the room, lips pressed tightly together. She's about to ask if he's alright when the Captain approaches their table, a sheet of paper in his right hand.

"I have a special request to ask of you two," he says with the faintest hint of a smile and it's enough to make Axel perk up, his expression transforming from grim to grin. "I'd like you to attend to this call out and once you've dealt with it, I want you to remain here at the station until I return."

"I would prefer to -" she starts, but Eraqus interrupts her before she's even able to finish the sentence.

"I know what you'd prefer, Lowe. You want to be out there as much as possible and not stuck here dealing with paperwork all night long. Von Brandt doubtlessly feels the same way," he says and her partner nods. "But I need both of you here because I have very little experience working with those on the night shift, and if anything does go wrong, I'd prefer to have someone at hand who's familiar with how I work. Do you understand?"

Axel rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything, so she nods instead and answers for the both of them. "Perfectly, sir."

"Good. I hope to be back before 2 am but we all know that anything could happen with a situation like this."

"That we do, sir," declares Axel, standing up and reaching for the paper with the call's details on it. Eraqus passes it to him and then jerks suddenly, startling her. He reaches into his pockets and pulls out a vibrating phone, looking apologetic as he does so.

"Please excuse me," he says, reading the caller ID. "I need to take this. I'll see the two of you later, though hopefully not so late it becomes early morning."

"Hopefully, sir," she says and smiles.

He turns on his heels with a brief wave and answers his phone. She watches as he leaves the room, chastising someone named Terra for calling him on his personal number while he's still at work, and then turns her attention to Axel, who's reading over the case details.

"What've we got?"

"A stabbing at The Black Cauldron."

She sucks in her breath through her teeth at that name and Axel looks up from the paper with a smirk.

"I know. I take you to the nicest of places, don't I?"

"The loveliest. I can see how you charmed Roxas into going out with you."

"It was actually the other way round, but anyway, let's get back to the matter at hand. The call came in from an eyewitness so we don't have specific details yet, just the basics," he says and hands the sheet of paper over to her.

"Victim is a young male, likely mid-20s, stabbed with a large _katana_ ," she reads, incredulous, and flicks her eyes upwards to look at her partner and make sure she's not imagining things. His eyebrows quirk upwards with a sly grin and he motions for her to continue reading.

"The blade is still lodged firmly within the victim so he is unlikely to bleed out, though there is a risk of internal bleeding and possible organ ruptures. He is also mildly inebriated as he is part of a group of men out celebrating a _bachelor party_."

At this, she heaves a dramatic sigh. "Seriously? A guy so drunk at a bachelor party, he gets stabbed with a sword so large I don't know how you could possibly miss it."

"Like I said," begins Axel with a quiet chuckle and brief shake of his head," I only take you to the nicest of places. I mean, besides someone actually dying, there's no way it could get any worse, right?"

She pauses to think. Drunken men. One of the most notorious pubs in the entire city. Blitzball fans rioting so much they'll surely be traffic chaos. And by the looks of things, a mad swordsman out on the loose.

No, she decides. It couldn't possibly get any worse than this.

* * *

 **A/N -** The behaviour of the blitzball fans comes from first-hand experience of living in a city which plays host to tonnes of sporting events, including UEFA cup finals. The riots here are directly inspired by some that took place several years ago, which were so bad that all ambulances heading into the city centre had to have a police escort in case they were attacked.

Saïx's surname is totally a shout-out to Sailor Moon – he would make an excellent Sailor Soldier, especially with his ridiculously luscious hair. Tsukino is Japanese for, 'of the moon.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - The Ideal Man**

The quiet dusk of summer's evening has finally darkened into night and, as predicted, the traffic is absolutely horrendous.

A long chain of vehicles winds its way downhill towards Eastgate, a strange snake of red and white lights blinking in the dark. There's no point even trying to use their siren. Streets within the city walls come in only two flavours: wide promenades flanked by vibrant flowerbeds that give the city its name or twisted alleyways where the eaves of buildings are so close there is never any need to carry an umbrella. She thought it would be quicker to take the side streets but apparently, everyone else has had exactly the same idea.

Axel flings his head back against the headrest with a weary sigh, his left hand drumming an impatient beat upon his knees. She throws an apologetic glance his way and he accepts it with a nod before wriggling around in his seat to find a more comfortable position. From the looks of things, they have a long wait ahead of them.

"You know," he begins, voice drawling. "It probably would have been better if you'd headed towards Bridgegate instead of East. "

Aqua frowns. "Bridgegate is on the opposite side of town to Hollow Bastion. Eastgate is the main entrance and shortest route there. Everyone knows that."

"Clearly," he snorts and thrusts his arm towards the windscreen. "Looks like everyone and their mothers are out here trying to use it. But Bridgegate's usually quiet this time of night. You pass through the gatehouse pretty quickly, hop onto the freeway and what'd you know, within fifteen minutes you're in Hollow Bastion proper. "

Her hands tighten on the steering wheel and she tries to steady her breath. He's not criticising her, at least not maliciously, she knows that. He's merely making an observation, like he always does whenever it's her turn to drive. Still, it probably would have helped a lot more if he'd spoken up a little sooner.

"I'll try to bear that in mind for next time, but I don't see how it's going to be of any use to us now," she says and as soon as the sentence leaves her mouth she winces at the tone, far harsher than she means it to be.

Axel notices immediately of course. He'd be a rather poor detective if he didn't. His lips fold inwards to prevent him saying something he shouldn't and his gaze flits across the car from her to one of the ornate lampposts that dot this area of Castle Town. He starts to scrutinise it with a hard stare but his eyes are hazy, seeing but not seeing, almost like he's overthinking something.

The vehicle in front of them finally inches forwards and they follow on for a few metres before coming to another unfortunate halt. It's enough time for Axel to come to a decision about whatever has been flickering through his mind and he twists around to face her properly, mouth tugging upwards on one side.

"Okay. Change of subject. We're probably gonna be stuck here a while, so why don't we make the most of this opportunity and have a real heart to heart?"

She turns her head, lips pursed and eyebrows arched, and watches as his expression dances between encouraging and conceding.

"Or," he suggests, reaching up to scratch at his cheek," if that's too emotional for you then we could always have a more intellectual discussion about the big issues of the day. You know, the sort of conversation pretentious people have at dinner parties."

The image of Axel, a man with flaming hair and facial tattoos who racks up uniform violations like they're medals, at a stuffy dinner party is so outlandish she starts sputtering ungracefully. It transforms into a full-blown chuckle when she catches his eye, his brows and lips both curved with delight, and all the tension she had been holding in her shoulders and hands dissipates as she continues laughing.

"You have a lot of experience with those, I imagine."

"More than you'd expect," he counters and he almost, _almost_ sounds embarrassed. "One of my friends from high school, Marluxia, likes to throw them at least once a month and I'm pretty sure his parents had pretentious stamped on his birth certificate as his middle name. But I digress." His hand rises from his knee with a dramatic flourish and he directs a volley of questions at her. "What, oh what, shall we talk about then? Is ice wine from Arendelle truly worth its outrageous price tag? Does Julie Heartilly's latest album stand a chance at being as good as her older stuff? How large a role should gender identity play in modern society?"

That certainly grabs her attention.

"Gender identity?" she repeats, and the phrase sounds slightly less strange falling from her mouth than his.

"Yup," he says, pronouncing the p with a hard pop. "Xion's _finally_ decided on a major and she's settled on Psychology with a minor in Gender Studies. Word of warning; she's very passionate about it and is more than capable of talking your head off about performativity and gender bias and a bunch of other things I've never even heard of. But on the whole, it's actually pretty interesting stuff. And she knows what she'd like to do when she graduates, which is always an advantage if you ask me. She wants to work with kids who have gender dysphoria."

Something ignites within Axel whenever he talks about his friends and a smile begins to bloom on Aqua's face as he carries on speaking. It's not as pronounced as when he talks about Roxas, he's practically aglow then, but it's still rather beautiful to watch him reveal his more vulnerable side, one only a select few are ever permitted to see.

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

It's more of a statement than a question but Axel looks taken aback, as if he's only just realised how openly he's displaying his feelings.

"Well, yeah. Other than Roxas, she's probably my best friend."

There's an unexpected flurry of movement ahead of them and her attention is drawn back to the steering wheel. The pace is still painfully slow for her liking, little more than a crawl really, and she uses the lull in their conversation to consider what she might say next. It'll be a bold thing for her to admit but as they finally make it to the end of the narrow street and turn onto one of the city's famed boulevards, she decides that he deserves her honesty just as much as she does his.

"You're a better person than I am then," she confesses, relieved to see the wide arch of Eastgate ahead in the distance. The information boards are flashing, notifying drivers of ID inspections at the gatehouse and the reason for their holdup suddenly becomes much clearer. "I'm not sure I could ever be that close to my partner's ex."

"Really?" he says and it's his voice that exposes his surprise this time, not his face. "You don't strike me as the jealous, possessive type."

"That's because you don't see me outside of work very often. I've been told I can be a little overbearing sometimes."

"Hmm," he hums and a smirk she doesn't like the look of emerges on his lips. "Now that you mention it, Rox may or may not have told me that you used to be a rather protective babysitter. Something about you not letting him and his brothers re-enact the Keyblade War until after you got your paediatric first aid certificate."

His smile broadens as Aqua huffs and tries to defend herself.

"I was a broke teenager," she protests. "I didn't want to risk getting sued because Sora accidentally clubbed Roxas too hard with his wooden sword or Ven messed up trying to backflip off the garden wall."

She doesn't disclose the main driving factor for her certification: Vanitas, a boy who caused almost as much physical damage to himself as he did his brothers. For all she knows, Roxas may not even have told Axel about him and it is not her secret to spill. All she can do is hope that Vanitas is making good progress with his treatment plan and that he'll return to his family soon, where he belongs.

"That was probably a good call then," admits Axel. "The Highwinds do tend come across as the sort of people who like to take legal action."

"You've met them?"

"Not in person, but I've been in the room when Rox has been vid-calling them." He pauses and his expression shifts and it takes Aqua a few seconds to recognise the emotion that has swept across it. Trepidation. "They uhm… they apparently want me to come along to their annual family barbecue later this month." He swallows hard before whispering," And I'm actually kind of terrified."

They're approaching the gate now and she can't see his face as she unhooks her police badge from her belt in preparation to show the booth attendant. But she doesn't need to. The emotion in his voice is as clear as day.

"You really love him, don't you?"

Axel doesn't even hesitate. "I do," he declares and then leans in closer to her to rest a hand on her shoulder. He squeezes it gently before continuing. "I guess I owe you big time for introducing us. And I suppose the only way I can truly repay you is by helping you find a dashing young gentleman of your very own."

She blanches. "We are not having this conversation."

"Oh, I think you'll find we are, my friend. Tell me, when was the last time you actually went on a date?"

Eight months ago at the behest of her grandmother, an imperious woman who has been casually introducing her to 'eligible' young men ever since she blew out her twenty-fifth candle.

Noctis had been lovely, an attractive and intelligent man who spoke with quiet determination, but he was also the sole heir to the Lucis fortune and would likely take over as CEO of the company upon his father's retirement. His description of the family business was worded kindly but it was also very clear that any career of his would take precedence over hers and Aqua decided there and then that she was not having any of that.

"I'm perfectly happy as I am, Axel. I have a steady job that gives me purpose, an apartment of my own, and good people in my life that I really care about. I don't see why you should be bothered by my apparent lack of love life."

"Because I consider you a friend and I want to see you happy."

"I _am_ happy."

"Yeah, but you could always be happier, right? In fact, I'm pretty sure that's one of the key driving forces of capitalism, you know, the idea that things could always be better. And you deserve to be happy Aqua. Like _majorly_ happy. You're one of the best people I'm lucky enough to know."

Her throat tightens at his sincerity and she swallows in an attempt to steady her emotions. Thankfully, it's their turn to pull up to the gatehouse and as she hands her badge and driving licence over to the attendant she prays that finally making it out of the city walls will be enough for him to drop this conversation entirely.

"Evening," says the worker manning the booth, looking as enthusiastic as you'd expect a booth attendant to look at this time of night. "May I ask where you're headed?"

"Hollow Bastion. Specifically, the Black Cauldron."

He nods and checks her ID. "That's fine. We've been asked to direct all non-essential vehicles away from the district so hopefully, the traffic should clear up from here for you." He hands back her police badge and licence and waves them along. "Have a good night, officers."

Axel bites back a laugh. "Oh, we'll try, but I _very_ much doubt it."

They head onwards and sure enough, the number of fellow vehicles on the road drops steadily as they travel into the outer sections of the city. With no walls to constrict them, the streets here are wider and the neat flowerbeds of the Old Town give way to wilder displays, meadow flowers left to grow as nature intends and purple drooping branches of wisteria trees. Even as the darkness of night deepens, it's quite the sight to behold.

This brief respite is broken, predictably, by Axel with a very disconcerting tone of voice.

"So… What's your type? I reckon that deep down you're secretly a romantic at heart, so I'm gonna stick with the classics and say tall, dark, and handsome."

She sighs. Axel is many things and tenacious is certainly one of them. He's been known to pull nearly as much overtime as she does whenever he's saddled with a particularly tough case and his interrogation skills are legendary. It's obvious he's not going to give up this line of questioning anytime soon, at least not easily, so she swallows her pride and relents, answering him honestly.

"I do have a soft spot for dark hair," she admits. "And nice eyes."

"Any colour preference?"

Her answer is immediate. "Blue. I like blue"

" _Really?_ " he gasps and his voice is practically dripping with sarcasm. "I had _no idea_."

"As I've told you plenty of times before, my hair colour is 100% natural, thank you very much. And you're hardly one to-" She flicks her eyes over to him briefly and halts mid-sentence when she spots the open notebook in his hand. "Are you… are you taking notes?"

"Maybe," he replies, dragging out the word for multiple syllables and holding up an open palm. "But in my defence, I am only trying to help you. Any future use of this information for blackmailing purposes will be mere coincidence."

The only appropriate response she can muster is to roll her eyes and mutter a curt, "Of course." Her partner doesn't seem to mind though. If anything, he takes it as a sign of acquiescence and jots down more words.

"Let's see here; appearance wise, you like tall, dark, and handsome, preferably with blue eyes. But what about the deeper stuff, who he is as a person? What would you like to see there?"

She turns over a few sentences in her mind, some clichéd, some less so, and eventually settles for what matters the most in her eyes. Something simple but mightily important.

"Someone with a kind heart," she says, changing lanes in preparation to take the next turn-off. "And someone who values me as an equal. Someone who doesn't make me choose between them and my career, or my career and theirs. A true partner."

The car fills with the sound of pen against paper as they make a left. The Black Cauldron is now less than a mile away and she wonders how many more details Axel can wrangle from her before their arrival.

"Anything else?" he asks, pen poised to write more. " The more specific you are about personality and physical appearance the better. And we'll save the discussion about his prowess in the bedroom for later."

Aqua chokes, aghast at the mere thought of such a conversation, and Axel responds with a toothy grin, his non-verbal of saying that he knows she loves him really. She does, however, have one more request, so she continues.

"Someone who makes me feel safe."

"Safe?"

"Yes, safe. You know as well as I do that one of the unfortunate consequences of having this job is growing to realise just how dangerous a place this city can be. We get to see people at their very worst and witness first-hand the damage they cause to both themselves and other people. The world can be a very scary place and I guess sometimes I just want someone to hold me tight and tell me everything's going to be okay."

He's silent for a few beats and when he does speak up the teasing in his voice that had persisted earlier is no longer present.

"Well, I'm here for you if you ever need me, and more than willing to dole out hugs."

"You're too bony," she states and for once, Axel looks genuinely offended by one of her retorts. She grins in quiet victory. "But I appreciate your offer."

"For which I am grateful, and also sorry that my speedy metabolism apparently makes me uncomfortable to hug. Guess I'll add strong arms and gives good hugs to the list, along with making you feel safe."

"Better do it quickly then," she says, nodding towards the windscreen. "We're here."

All the on-street parking spots in the immediate vicinity of The Black Cauldron have been taken, so she has no choice but to double back along the street, looking for a suitable place to pull up against the kerb. She manages to find one about twenty metres away from the building and parks the car before checking the brakes twice, like she always does, much to Axel's amusement.

They step out to find that sundown has done little to alleviate the unpleasant atmosphere. It is still horribly sticky and she wishes she didn't have to wear her windbreaker, but rules are rules and she always tries to follow them down to a T. She shucks the jacket on over her blazer and re-clips her police badge back onto her belt, then turns to face their final destination.

Raucous noise spills from the pub and even from where they're standing the sounds of uproar are clear. It's the drunken cacophony of revellers making their last round of orders before closing time and almost instinctively Aqua checks her holster.

"Hey now," says Axel, sidling up to her. "Don't look so worried. I'm sure it's not quite the hive of scum and villainy other officers make it out to be."

"You really think so?"

His eyes dull slightly as he shakes his head. "No, but I'm trying to look on the bright side here. According to Xion, positive thinking can actually affect the outcome of future events. She didn't give me a source so I'm not entirely sure how much I buy it, but it's worth a shot, right?"

She nods with a hum but she mustn't look convinced because he brandishes his notebook at her with an eager curl to his lips.

"Who knows; some of the patrons here might be very eligible bachelors and maybe we'll be able to find a guy who fits your wish list."

She highly doubts that and tells him as much.

"Oh, really," he drawls and she's clearly known him for far too long and far too well because she can predict what his next sentence will be before it even has a chance to form on his tongue. "Want to bet on it?"

Her arms swing forwards to cross against her chest and she tilts her head to one side, eyebrows sceptical.

"Axel, if you can find me a guy who fits my criteria before this shift is over, I will _happily_ give you 50 munny."

She expects him to smirk, to wear the broad and cocky grin of his that always appears whenever they get competitive, but instead he's frowning, almost as though he's disappointed.

"Don't tell me you're expecting more?"

He rolls his shoulders before meeting her eyes with his own, green gaze watching blue.

"Nah, 50 munny's good. I was kind of hoping your offer would be a bit more traditional, you know, something more along the lines of your firstborn child, but I guess in this instance, cold, hard cash will have to suffice." He offers her his right hand. "Deal?"

She bites her lower lip and wavers, chewing over the probability. It's a fair amount of money but the odds are very much in her favour. Besides, she's never been one to turn down a little friendly competition.

"Deal," she declares, shaking his hand firmly, and then strides towards the pub with her head held high, safe in the knowledge that there is next to no chance of him succeeding.

Of that, she is certain.

* * *

 **A/N** \- Fun fact – this is the chapter that never was!

It never existed in the first draft; they just went straight from the police station to the pub. And the idea that led to me somehow managing to crank out just over 3,000 words in a (rather long) single sitting was Xion having strong opinions about gender politics. No, it doesn't make any sense to be either but I liked the result.

And please do check out this fantastic sketch of Aqua and Axel that the lovely lorelei–melodei did over on tumblr. I love it so much I actually went back and changed where Aqua wears her badge to match the picture. It's also the cover picture for this fic.

post/177630493180/hey-congratulations-on-reaching-600-followers


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